Technicians charge up the electronics and instruments on NASA's Orion space capsule.

Thumbs up: To Sen. Marco Rubio for sponsoring the "Delay Until Fully Functional Act," and to other Republicans trying to make sure the Affordable Care Act works fairly. The bill would delay the individual mandate until six months after the Government Accountability Office certifies the federal exchange website is fully functional. Last week, House Republicans began hearings to find out what went wrong with the exchange's online sign-up process. The Affordable Care Act is complicated and will need some tweaking to make it effective. Measures such as this one are positive, as long as they aren't used as a condition for funding government.

Thumbs down: To hurricane experts whose predictions for an ominous tropical storm season were way off. "It's the biggest seasonal forecast bust we've ever had," Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach told USA Today. CSU and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted between nine and 11 hurricanes in the Atlantic. The Weather Channel and Accuweather also predicted unusually active seasons. To date, just two hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic, none major. The season ends Nov. 30.

Thumbs up: To progress at Kennedy Space Center in building the next generation of spacecraft for astronauts. Last week, Lockheed Martin powered up NASA's Orion exploration crew capsule, the start of six months of testing and assembly before a trial launch next year from Cape Canaveral. By 2021, Orion is expected to carry people on a mission beyond orbit, launching on a NASA-owned Space Launch Systems rocket. Meanwhile, the Boeing Co. is preparing to assemble its CST-100 capsule in a former shuttle hangar. Boeing is competing with SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. for a NASA contract to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. If it wins, it plans to hire 550 locally by 2015.

Thumbs down: To U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, for comparing the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan in a fundraising email. The message shows a burning cross used as the "T" in "tea party." Grayson defended the email last week, saying tea party activists have long used racist imagery and over-the-top terms to refer to President Obama, African-Americans and gays. True, but they were wrong, too.

Thumbs up: To the University of Central Florida football team, whose 6-1 record and Top-25 ranking appears to be no fluke. Before drubbing the University of Connecticut Saturday, the Knights beat then-No. 6 Louisville and Big 10 power Penn State. UCF suffered its one loss to No. 14 South Carolina, by a field goal. The Knights are tied for first place in the American Athletic Conference with the University of Houston, making the leaders' Nov. 9 showdown in Orlando one to watch.

Thumbs down: To Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for asking the Florida Supreme Court to keep a proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana off the 2014 ballot. Although we're not ready to endorse it, we think Florida voters deserve a say. Bondi warned in a letter the language's "true scope and effect remain hidden," and doctors could prescribe pot willy-nilly. Meanwhile, after 17 years under similar rules in California, none of the warnings of civic disorder or greater drug use has proved true, a New York Times analysis found. Medical marijuana also shows promise for treating severe epilepsy, and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta urged more mainstream research.

Thumbs up: To the city of Melbourne for plans to install a super-charging station for electric cars early next year at City Hall. The city installed its first public charging station in March at the Eau Gallie Public Library. The new level-three charger, or "direct current" station, at City Hall will potentially be the first of its kind in the state, charging cars such as the Chevy Volt in just 30 minutes. There are only two direct current stations in Florida, and those are only for Tesla electric vehicles. The city will pay about $7,500 to install the station, which is being donated by Nissan.

Thumbs down: To BlueWare, which has been embroiled for months in a contracting scandal involving the Brevard court system and has now been sued by former employees claiming unpaid wages. Last week, former BlueWare workers Jerry Miller and Angela Walker sued the company, former Clerk of Courts Mitch Needelman, Blueware CEO Rose Harr and Matt Dupree, a company vice president and local lobbyist. Miller and Walker are seeking unpaid wages, attorneys' fees and more than $15,000 in damages.